That's just because people are morons. No shit Aldridge struggled with his starting point guard, best player and starting SF, and backup PF all out against the best team in the league being guarded by Draymond Green and dealing with constant double teams.

I think Spurs fans just expected greatness right away when he came to San Antonio and it took a couple of season for Pop and him to figure out how to maximize his potential here. A lot of Spurs fans, myself included, were disappointed with him and a perceived lack of effort in his first couple of seasons. Glad that I am wrong. He has absolutely put this team on his back for the last two seasons.

To be fair he was getting bodied by harden and Ryan fucking Anderson in the paint.He was so lethargic without kawhi when he got hurt in the playoffs.But it got ridiculous when people thought he wasn't even worth a 1st round pick.How things have changed

The three biggest NBA markets are the Lakers, Knicks, and Warriors. It's funny how we only hear about the Lakers' and Knicks' abundance of young talent and overanalyze every time Draymond mouth breaths. If they dedicate some air time to well performing small market teams, they can create superstars. The NBA is becoming more and more international and people in other countries care more about the team name than the city.